Parasoft's data flow analysis provides automated detection of runtime errors without requiring the software to actually be executed. This enables early and effortless detection of critical runtime errors that might otherwise take weeks to find. It statically simulates application execution paths which may cross multiple units, components, and files to identify paths that could trigger runtime errors. To simply defect analysis, a complete analyzed path trace for each potential defect is reported in the IDE, and automatic cross-links to code help users quickly jump to any point in the highlighted analysis path. This ability to expose these errors without executing code is especially valuable for teams with legacy code bases lacking robust test suites or embedded code, where runtime analysis and detection of such errors is not effective or possible.

Parasoft's data flow analysis is currently available for Java, C/C++, and .NET.

Here are more details on how it is applied to Java. Static Detection of Complex Runtime ErrorsParasoft's data flow analysis enables you to find potentially crash-causing defects such as exceptions and resource leaks without having to create, execute, or maintain test cases. This provides a fast and easy way to identify reliability and performance problems without having to actually execute the application.

Validation of Unit Test ExceptionsAutomated unit testing can deliver a long list of potential uncaught runtime exceptions-- each of which could indicate either a real problem with the code, or an unrealistic test case. Parasoft's data flow analysis can be applied to determine whether the exceptions reported from unit testing could actually be triggered by available application paths. This feedback enables teams to quickly zero in on those unit test exceptions that pose real risks to application reliability.